


Tangled Up

by tetila (AwakeMySoul)



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Daddy Issues, Dan is awesome, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 04:41:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwakeMySoul/pseuds/tetila
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“You can sit here, Torres. The trashcan table is for losers that only made it in on the second try.”</i> Academy AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tangled Up

**Author's Note:**

> It only took me 2 years to finish this. Many thanks to [torres](http://archiveofourown.org/users/torres) for betaing and for being awesome in general and lots of love to [caivallon](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caivallon) ♥. Fill for the [Twenty Words that Began Forever challenge](http://caras-de-pecas.livejournal.com/130425.html)

**~ Twenty words that began forever**

* * *

Fernando tries really hard, tries not to let it show that the looks and the attention he gets when he passes the first few rows of tables are bothering him, but they are and he’s almost expecting one of the recruits to trip him, to make him fall into his own food like they were still teenagers back in school. He hadn’t expected it to be any other way. His father’s name had always been like a burden, looming over him like a shadow he couldn’t get rid of.

For them he’s just Fernando Torres, the son of the deputy director, the one that just made it in because of his name (which isn’t true, by the way).

Every time he looks up from his tray and into the faces of the people already sitting at one of the tables, he sees frowns and scowls and distrust, so he quickly looks away again, not wanting to give them any reason to start a fight. Fernando’s target is the lonely table in the back of the hall, the one nobody sits at because it stands beside the trash cans and the smell there is vaguely disgusting. He figures people will leave him alone there.

_“You can sit here, Torres. The trashcan table is for losers that only made it in on the second try.”_

The voice sounds bored but calm and when Fernando looks up, he sees a man looking back at him. Tall, dark-haired, freckles, pointing at the free place in front of him. He doesn’t think twice as he quickly takes the offered place and is only mildly disappointed when his smile doesn’t get one in return. Fernando figures his first day in the academy could have been a lot worse.

 

**~ Nineteen words that made us laugh**

* * *

The bullet hits the bull's eye, the aim perfect as always, and Fernando slowly breathes out, smiles. A groan behind him.

_“Seriously how do you do that?”_

Startled Fernando turns and sees Dan - who else? - a scowl twisting on his face.

_“It’s a gift.”_

The corners of Dan’s mouth quirk into a smile in a way that makes Fernando want to lean in and nip at his lips until they open up underneath his own and... fuck, he really needs to stop that. As if he doesn’t have enough problems already, a crush on his only friend in the academy is probably a bad idea.

_“Are you sure it’s not your father manipulating the bullets?”_

He must have looked at Dan like he grew another head because a moment later, his friend breaks out into loud laughter and for the first time, Fernando feels comfortable about someone in the academy mentioning his father. It’s only fitting that it’s Dan. So he joins in, their laughter echoing in the air around them. It’s in this moment Fernando decides he’s lost. Only he doesn’t know if Dan is there to find him

 

**~ Eighteen words that nearly ended it all**

* * *

_“Would you stop blaming your father for every bad thing that happens to you?”_

The words hung between them as the silence thickened the air around them, and Fernando has to swallow tightly around the lump forming in his throat. Dan looks like he wants to take the words back, but it's too late.

_“Get the fuck out.”_

This has been the first time Dan ever used his father in a fight against him, and he’ll be damned if he lets him.

 

**~ Seventeen words that betrayed me**

* * *

_"If you could just choose one girl in the world, what should she be like?"_

_"Like you."_

Later, Fernando blames it on the alcohol both Dan and he had running through their systems that night. Dan believes him and he isn't sure if he should feel relived or angry that Dan's accepting it just like that and that he doesn't see Fernando as more than just a friend.

 

**~ Sixteen words that meant the world to me**

* * *

_"Very good, Mr. Torres."_

Fernando and the rest of his class just finished their training session, the one he hates because his body never was very cooperative when it came to combining strength and pace in those stupid assault courses. This is the first time he ever managed to finish one without his body giving away and it’s not even with a bad time.

Dan, sweating and breathing heavily beside him, smiles and pats his shoulder while their instructor keeps rating the others. Fernando is forever thankful for every single day the Dane made him stand up before sunrise to exercise.

_"Told you so. And you were even better than that asshole Johnson."_

The glowering look he gets from Johnson makes his victory even sweeter, Fernando smiles to himself. But all that really matters to him right now, in this moment, is Dan's hand still resting on his shoulder, the warmth seeping through his shirt, sending pleasant little tingles through his body. Dan's presence beside him makes this moment even more perfect.

 

**~ Fifteen words that engulfed me in my wake**

* * *

_“Nando, you awake?”_ A voice echoing into his dreams, slowly bringing him back to his room and the bed he lays in as he wakes up in a daze.

When he finally opens his eyes, he sees Dan looming over him, looking fresh out of bed, hair tousled and eyes still clouded with sleep.

“Dan?” He mumbles, confused and maybe a little bit alarmed. _“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”_

Dan doesn’t answer right away and Fernando sees him swallow a few times before he breaks their eye contact and looks down. For a brief moment, Fernando thinks Dan won’t say anything, but then his quiet voice breaks the silence again.

_“I think I don’t like girls.”_

Something inside Fernando explodes into a million small, relieved sparks and he can’t remember the last time he felt like that, but he knows it feels good and he will be damned if he lets Dan feel any different about it.

 

**~ Fourteen words that woke me up**

* * *

_“What kind of father forgets his son’s birthday?”_

The words echo in Fernando’s ears as sleep gives way to them. His body feels sluggish and numb and he can’t make out the rest of Dan’s words in his confused brain, so he stops trying. His mouth is dry, his eyes itchy and for a moment, he can’t remember the reason, can’t remember what made him cry for the first time in months.

Then, it all comes back.

Even though he had almost expected his father to forget, it hurt more than he thought it would when the day was finally almost over and he hadn’t heard from him. He had tried to play it down, had tried to tell himself that it didn’t matter, that he didn’t really care, but then in a quiet moment alone in his room, it all came crashing back, helpless anger at his father mixing with disappointment at himself for still caring after all these years.

The call ends with a thunk of the phone hitting the table and he can hear the defeated, frustrated sigh Dan lets out. Fernando doesn’t need much imagination to be able to see the angry furrow between the other man’s eyes in his mind. And for a second, he feels sorry that Dan has to deal with his dad and his issues with him.

His chain of thoughts gets interrupted by the mattress dipping softly and a warm hand dropping on his shoulder. He sees Dan, the frown he had imagined earlier still present on his forehead.

Fernando wants to ask Dan what his father had to say, what kind of excuse he had this time, but at the same time he wants to stop caring, wants to stop feeling like the child who woke up in the morning, feeling excitement fluttering in his chest only to be told his father wouldn’t be there for his birthday party.

 _“What did...?”_ It’s just barely above a whisper, but the way his voice sounds broken and weak makes him cringe.

Fernando hates being seen as weak. He doesn’t want to be weak. He isn’t... he knows better. He has gotten into the academy on first try and with even better results than his father, he’s one of the top students here and he works hard to keep it that way. Fernando knows he’s more than just his father’s son and if the man didn’t care about him, he shouldn’t either.

 _“Doesn’t matter.”_ Dan nudges his shoulder, making him move so he can join him in bed. For a moment they are both just lying there, silently staring at the ceiling.

 _“Stay?”_ Fernando asks, turning his head slightly, letting his eyes take in the other man’s profile, highlighted against the soft light from the bedside lamp.

 _“Yeah.”_ Dan simply answers and Fernando finally closes his, eyes sleep catching up with him again.

The last thing he feels are Dan’s fingers slipping between his own.

 

**~ Thirteen words that created the bridge**

* * *

_“Remember when you told me you don’t like girls?”_

Fernando tries to sound as nonchalantly as possible, keeping his eyes on the book in front of him, his leg bouncing up and down restlessly.

He can sense Dan pause over his notes, can almost feel his skin prickle where Dan’s gaze seems to rest and he knows the tips of his ears are starting to take on a pink hue.

Dan is silent for a few seconds and all Fernando can do is worry and try not to panic.

_“Yes?”_

Fernando lets out a shaky breath, wetting his lips once before gathering all the courage he can find.

_“I like... you.”_

It wasn’t what Fernando had wanted to say. He had this whole speech planned on how he thinks he likes both girls and boys, on how he knew their friendship was more important than the small bundle of feelings he was harbouring in his chest for Dan... and suddenly, it doesn’t matter because Dan is smiling at him.

 

**~ Twelve words that broke my heart**

* * *

Fernando is barely awake when he drags himself to the community showers, his brain still half-asleep as he opens the doors. He can hear voices echoing off the walls and he smiles when he hears Dan’s among them.

The last two weeks had been filled with exploring this new, fragile thing between them and most of the time, Fernando feels giddy and like smiling all the time. Everything is so much better than he thought they would ever be.

A laugh brings him back to the showers and Fernando can barely understand what they are saying until he hears his own name fall.

_“... and Torres, are you boyfriends now?”_

Fernando holds his breath, his heartbeat incredibly loud in his ears.

_“Shut up! He’s only for fun.”_

He does the only thing he can think of. He runs.

 

**~ Eleven words that sealed our fates**

* * *

They have a regular pub - well, the whole school has because sometimes it feels like the only people who come here are from the academy. The music is good and he’s tipsy enough to dance and for the first time since that thing with Dan in the showers, Fernando feels comfortable being between these people again.

There had been a lot of grovelling and public humiliation on Dan’s part to get Fernando to talk to him again, let alone forgive. But it’s good. They’ve been good.

A hand on his hip startles him out of his thoughts and he loses the beat, slowing down to a stop. Dan smiles at him, warm and open, the kind that makes his insides tingle, and he leans over to place a small kiss on the corner of his lips. Only then Fernando notices the tall, lanky man besides him.

_“Thomas, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Fernando Torres.”_

Dan’s friend laughs before he shakes Fernando’s hand and he remembers Thomas from Dan’s stories about home. As far as first expressions go, he can see why Dan would like him. He looks... he stops there, because his brain finally decides to catch up with Dan’s words.

‘Boyfriend’, Dan introduced him as his boyfriend. He’s Dan’s boyfriend.

Dan’s eyes catch his and he smiles, his cheeks feeling hot and the way Dan looks at him, he knows he means it.

 

**~ Ten words that cured our boredom**

* * *

November is cold and grey and Fernando's breath paints white clouds into the air, his feet playing with the colourful leaves underneath his shoes while he watches the group of men play with a football on the dying grass. He's comfortable with just sitting on the bench and watching Dan play with their friends (he has come to accept that they're his friends now too), cheering when they score a goal and laughing when something spectacularly fails.

His knee still throbs and twinges when he moves it the wrong way, but it's healing and the academy allows him to take his time. For once, he's glad his father is who he is and he refuses to feel bad about it.

Nearing steps draw his attention back to the game and he sees Dan jog towards him, hair tousled and sweaty, a grin on his lips. Fernando returns his smile, allowing the other man to kiss him before they settle back in a comfortable position, sharing body heat.

 _“Come home with me this winter break?”_ Dan asks after a moment of quiet, breath hot and damp against Fernando’s cheek.

Fernando thinks about the prospect of spending two long weeks at his parents', the endless, boring and frustrating discussions about his life choices with his father and his mother’s constant nagging.

And then he thinks about Dan and the stories he tells about his family, about taking this big step and he holds his own breath as something pleasant spreads inside him.

_“I’d love to.”_

 

**~ Nine words that drove me mad**

* * *

Nine words, just nine words mixed with the immaturity of adolescent boys and alcohol, carelessly thrown into the room. Wanting to be cool, to fit in, be funny. Wanting to hurt.

_“Even I’d fuck Torres with a face like his.”_

Fernando hears the laughter, loud and crude, echoing off the walls in the small common room. It causes something to snap inside him. The last bit of restraint he has is gone after months of trying to be the better man. He's done being the target of Johnson's inferiority complex.

He ignores Dan's hand, wanting to hold him back and throws himself at Johnson. And he hits home.

Once, twice... until he feels a satisfactory pain throbbing in his knuckles.

Then there are arms around him and a familiar voice chanting low, calming words into his ear and he lets himself be dragged outside, away from Johnson and his group, who surprisingly don’t intervene.

They both don’t say anything for a while, the silence settling around them comfortably and Fernando knows Dan isn’t judging him, because Johnson had it coming for a long time. Dan probably would have done the exact same thing if Fernando hadn't beaten him to it.

He looks back down from the cold, dark night sky into Dan's face and he sees a smile starting to spread on Dan's lips, curling and getting wider with every second, growing into full laughter.

In the end, he can't help but join in, the tension seeping out of his body with every breath he has to take in between.

 

**~ Eight words that scared the wits out of me**

* * *

_“Your father says he wants to meet me.”_

The words startle Fernando so much the sip of coffee he takes goes down the wrong pipe and he has to cough. Dan smiles and reaches out over the breakfast table, awkwardly trying to pat him on his back. Dan doesn’t say anything else, just gives him the time to think about it.

He doesn’t know what to think about his father actually wanting to meet Dan, doesn’t know what made the man ask, but he knows it’s too early for him, for them. It scares him and he wants to Dan for himself a little while longer.

 

**~ Seven words that made me fall back in love with you**

* * *

Breakfast at the academy is a dull affair. People are still waking up and trying to chase away the last remainders of sleep with a cup of coffee or three.

Fernando carries two hot cups in his hand and manoeuvres back to the table where Dan is waiting for him. They have a long day ahead of them. Forensic sciences, law and behavioural sciences. Dan hates them all, but Fernando knows he is really good at understanding people, at knowing how they think and why they do the things they do. He knows the professors are already hoping for him to join the behaviour science unit. He also knows Dan will, even if he himself doesn’t see it just yet.

_“What’s it with you and Torres?”_

Fernando hears one of the new guys ask Dan.

_“Serious.”_

Fernando feels his cheeks starting to grow hot at hearing Dan's quiet, mumbled confession and for a moment he freezes, not knowing if he should announce his presence or if he should act like he simply hasn’t heard it.

In the end, he chooses the second option because he knows Dan is still half-asleep and probably hasn’t meant to say something like that out loud, let alone for him or anyone to hear it.

He waits and lets a few seconds pass before he carefully places a cup in front of Dan, ignoring the smirks and knowing looks he gets from their friends as his hand finds Dan’s underneath the table.

 

**~ Six words that seduced me**

* * *

Fernando’s heart jumps as he wakes with a start to the feeling of someone grinding against his thigh.

 _“Hey,”_ Dan murmurs against the skin of his neck, leaving a trail of kisses on his collarbone, the touch so light his lips barely make contact.

 _“Hey?”_ Fernando’s body seems to recognise the signals before his brain can even catch up with it. Heat pools in his lower stomach, slowly spreading and he gives a shuddery, little moan when Dan slides between his legs.

 _“You smell really good.”_ Dan whispers against his ear like it explains everything, and he gives the slightest nudge of his hips. Fernando’s heart is racing now and he decides that talking is overrated anyway. He pushes up into the movement, meets the cloth-clad hardness with one of his own. A moan spills from both their lips.

They find a rhythm afterwards, Dan gives slow, steady pushes and Fernando opens his thighs wider as small tiny noises escape his throat he just can’t stop. He can feel the other man’s breath on his lips, coming faster now, he can feel the roll of his hips against Dan’s, and he can feel the hitch in Dan’s chest that tells him he’s near already.

Fernando inhales, trembling, and stretches up that last inch, catching Dan’s lips, wet and clumsy. His entire body moving with the one on top of him, pleasure sparking along his nerves as Dan buries his face in the crook of Fernando’s neck with a choked gasp, his hips moving wildly now. Then he slows, shuddering, moaning softly, hot wetness seeping through both their boxer shorts and with a last twist of Dan’s hips Fernando joins him in his release.

It’s a while before either of them moves again, cheeks red and glowing while they sneak into the community showers.

 

**~ Five words that overjoyed me**

* * *

It’s a normal day. Not Valentine’s Day or a birthday, or any other special occasion.

No, it’s a boring, lazy Friday afternoon and Fernando’s laying on his bed, listening to an audio book. His head is pillowed on one of Dan's thighs, while the other man reads the sport section of the newspaper. It’s warm, familiar and comfortable.

A hand on his cheek catches his attention. He looks up, meets Dan's eyes looking down at him.

_“I think I love you.”_

Even though he only sees Dan’s lips moving around the words, he can hear them loud and clear in his mind over the sound of the audio book.

He smiles.

 

**~ Four words that took us to the skies**

* * *

_“You jump, I jump,”_ Dan screams over the deafening noise of the plane, preparing to take them up to the skies. One-way ticket only.

The paratrooper unit exercises are a nightmare for Fernando - a loud and windy, unpredictable nightmare and he hates them.

It had taken him months to tell Dan about his fear of heights, red-faced and shaky while waiting for his turn to rope down from a helicopter.

Dan had just smiled knowingly, squeezing his hand buried underneath some fabric and then whispered those words. He had laughed then, completely forgetting his fear for a moment at the cheesy line. Now, he feels reassured and confident.

Now, it’s all he needs to know.

 

**~ Three words that I hated**

* * *

_“... like your father”_

There are moments in his life Fernando thinks he will never manage to outrun his father’s looming presence, that his name will forever cast a bigger shadow than his own, that no one will ever see him for his own sake.

This is one of them.

One of the academy’s annual meet and greet events. Incredibly boring, but also incredibly important for future job opportunities.

The conversations are tiring and stiff and something inside him screams every time he hears those words. Because it is his biggest fear and deep inside, he’s scared it’s a fate he can’t outrun.

But then he looks at Dan, smiling at him from across the room and knows he isn’t and never will be.

 

**~ Two words that saved us from falling**

* * *

_“Wake up,”_ Fernando whispers again and again, pleading to whatever higher power is listening. His eyes itch, his throat feels raw and he’s tired, but he doesn’t allow himself to fall asleep, too scared Dan will slip away unnoticed. He doesn’t allow himself to give up.

It’s been hours since he opened the hospital door and sat down beside Dan, unmoving and pale-looking, machines the only thing keeping him alive.

They say the next 48 hours are going to be crucial and if he doesn't wake up in time it’s possible Dan will never come back to him.

He repeats the words like a prayer, like lyrics of a song, clutching his boyfriend’s hand, holding onto him until he sees the familiar green of Dan’s eyes stare back at him again.

 

**~ One word that started it all**

* * *

The room looks different without their stuff cluttering the shelves, the walls bare and empty, and their voices echoing off them. Fernando can still remember the day they moved in together as best friends and how they ended up being so much more.

_“Ready?”_

Fernando smiles as he looks up at Dan’s question, nodding. 

He doesn’t know if he’s ready for real life to start and it still feels unreal to him to be finally done with the academy. It’s a mixture of anticipation and fear of the unknown future lying in front of him. And even though they’ll work in two different towns, Fernando thinks it will be okay.

They will be okay.


End file.
